CCTV footage has been published of the moment a suicide bomber and his accomplice stormed into a government building in the heart of the Turkish capital.
Two armed men are seen storming the Interior Ministry building just north of the parliament building in Ankara at around 9:30 am local time on Sunday morning.
The men, who were driving a small gray vehicle, are seen stopping in front of the building before getting out and apparently firing their guns as passersby run away.
As the first man reaches the building’s security entrance, he apparently detonates the bomb he was carrying, instantly destroying him.
Meanwhile, the second attacker can be seen walking through the dust cloud created by his fellow attacker towards the Ministry of Interior building.
The suicide bomber was consumed by a fireball as he walked to the entrance of the government building
The two attackers arrived in a gray vehicle
Armed soldiers are currently stationed in front of the Ministry of Interior building
Minister Ali Yerlikaya, 54, said the second attacker was killed on Sunday in a shootout with police officers, two of whom were injured during the attack in the Turkish capital Ankara.
He added that the two officers had been hospitalized but had not suffered any serious injuries.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, has since claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing.
“A sacrificial action was carried out against the Turkish Interior Ministry by a team from our Immortal Brigade,” the PKK told the ANF news agency, which is close to the Kurdish movement.
Security forces have since erected barriers in the area, while TV footage showed bomb squads working near a parked vehicle in the area, located near the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other government buildings.
Police previously said they were carrying out controlled explosions of “suspicious package incidents” in other parts of Ankara.
Turkish police have cordoned off the south side of the Interior Ministry building, while the road east of the building is closed.
A rocket launcher was seen on the road outside the Ministry of Interior building
The rocket launcher was seen near the vehicle used by the attackers
At least one armored vehicle was seen in the area, in addition to the vehicle used by the attackers
Bomb squads were seen targeting the car used by the attackers
Turkish bombers were seen in the area shortly after reports of the explosion came in
A rocket launcher was seen on the road outside the Ministry of Interior building, right next to the vehicle used by the attackers.
Soldiers and emergency services are currently stationed outside the government building.
Armed soldiers were also seen on top of nearby buildings.
The attack, Ankara’s first since 2016, came hours before Turkey’s parliament was due to reopen after a three-month summer recess with a speech by the country’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Lawmakers were scheduled to be in the building today at 2 p.m.
Turkish police have cordoned off the south side of the Interior Ministry building
Police have cordoned off the south side of the Ministry of the Interior building
No group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for the attack
Armed soldiers were seen on the roofs of nearby buildings
It is currently unknown whether the attack claimed any lives or caused further injuries.
Turkey’s interior minister said in a message on X, formerly Twitter, about the incident: “Our fight will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized.”
Ankara’s chief prosecutor has launched an investigation into what she calls a terrorist attack.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said: “These attacks will in no way hinder Turkey’s fight against terrorism. Our fight against terrorism will continue with even more determination. No one should doubt this.’
Kurdish and far-left militant groups, as well as ISIS, have carried out deadly attacks in Turkey in the recent past.
The most recent bomb attack in Turkey took place in a shopping street in Istanbul in November 2022, killing six and injuring 81.
There were no claims of responsibility, but Turkey accused the banned PKK group of being behind the attack and said it had detained 46 people, including a Syrian woman suspected of planting the device.
The bombing took place on Sunday afternoon in the popular shopping street Istiklal Avenue.